Falling For The Rebound Bride
* * *
And to think, Colin mused, if he hadn’t agreed to this crazy woman’s suggestion to share the car, the worst that might’ve happened would have been his ending up in a ditch somewhere.
Of course, he didn’t owe her, or anyone, an explanation. Although she seemed like a nice enough kid—if pushy—and surprisingly playing the total bastard card wasn’t part of his skill set. Besides, in a half hour they’d be there, and he’d hole up in one of the cabins, and she’d stay with her cousin in the main house, and they probably wouldn’t even see each other again for the duration of her visit. Right?
Except right now she was watching him, waiting for an answer, those great, big, sad eyes pinned to the side of his face. Yeah, there was a story there, no doubt. Not that he was about to get sucked in. Because he’d come home to get his head on straight again, not get all snarled in someone else’s.
“They didn’t do anything, okay?” he finally mumbled. “Like you said, they’re great people. It’s just we don’t see a lot of things through the same lens.”
He sensed more than saw her frown before she leaned into the corner between the seat and the door—at least as much as the seat belt would let her—her arms folded over her stomach. Thinking, no doubt.
“So what’s different now?”
“Do you even consider what’s about to pop out of your mouth before it does?”
“Probably about as much as you’ve considered their reaction when you show up out of the blue. And with your dad’s heart condition—”
“First off, people keeling over from shock only happens in the movies—”
“Not only in the movies.”
“Mostly, then. And second, Dad’s not at death’s door. He never was, as far as I can tell—”
“And how would you know that if you haven’t been there?”
“Because that’s what he said, okay? For crying out loud, I did talk to him, or Mom, or both, every day at the time. I’m not totally out of the loop—”
“Even if you prefer to hover at its edge?”
If it hadn’t been for the gentle humor in her voice—and something more, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on—he would’ve been a lot more pissed than he was. “They told me not to come home, that it wasn’t necessary. And my reasons for returning now...” He briefly faced her, then looked away. “Are mine.”
“As are your reasons for not giving them a heads-up that you are. Got it.”
“You’re really aggravating, you know that?”
Her laugh startled him. “Then my work here is done,” she said, clearly pleased with herself. Because the chick was downright bonkers. Story of his life, apparently.
“Look,” he said, giving in or up or whatever. “If you’ve been around my family for more than thirty seconds you know they can be a mite...overwhelming en masse.”
Another laugh. “I noticed.”
“So if I’d called my brother and told him I was coming, you can bet your life the whole gang would be at the Vista to welcome me home.” His jaw clenched. “Maybe even the whole town. I know what I’m about to face, believe me. But I’d at least prefer to ease back into the bosom of the clan on my own terms. At least as much as possible.”
“I can understand that.”
“Really?”
“Like you’re the only person in the world who has issues with their family?” she said quietly, not looking at him. “Please.”
The sign for Whispering Pines flashed in the headlights, and Colin turned off the highway onto the smaller road leading to the tiny town. Emily shrugged more deeply into her coat; the higher they climbed, the colder the night got. But the air was sweet and clear and clean. And, Colin had to admit, welcoming.
“It’s the space, isn’t it?” she said, shattering his thoughts.
“Excuse me?”
“Why you’ve come home. Same reason I’m here now, I suppose. To stop the—” She waved her hands at her head, then folded her arms again. “The noise. The crowding.”
The impulse to probe nudged more insistently. He’d assumed she was only there to visit, like people did. Normal people, anyway. Or to attend Zach’s wedding, although that wasn’t for weeks yet. Now, though, questions niggled. Maybe there was more...?
And whatever that might be had nothing to do with him.
“Hadn’t really thought about it,” he muttered, ignoring what had to be a doubtful look in response. Shaking her head, Emily dug her phone out of her purse, only to heave a sigh and slug it back inside.
“No signal. Jeez, how do people even survive out here?”
“Same way they have for hundreds of years, I imagine.”
A soft grunt was her only reply. Thank God. Although Colin had to admit, as wearying as her poking and prying had been, the silence was far worse, providing a far-too-fertile breeding ground for his own twisted-up thoughts. Because despite the universe’s insistence that this is where he needed to be right now, he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit this felt an awful lot like starting over.
Or worse, failure.
A dog’s barking as they pulled into the Vista’s circular driveway shattered the silence, although Colin barely heard it over his pounding heart, the rush of blood between his ears. Beside him, Emily gathered her giant purse, then gave him what he suspected was a pitying look before grabbing the door’s handle.
“I don’t envy you right now,” she murmured, then shoved open the door and got out. By now her cousin and his brother were out on the oversize veranda. Even in the screwy light he could see confusion shudder across both their faces.
“You’ll never guess who I ran into in the airport,” she said, and Colin realized he had two choices: show himself, or turn right around and pretend this had all been a mistake. Except the flaw with plan B was that, for one thing, Emily’s luggage was still in the SUV. And for another, she’d rat on him.
So, on a weighty sigh, Colin pried himself from behind the wheel and faced his little brother, who immediately spit out a cussword that would’ve gotten a good smack upside the head from their mother. Two seconds later, Josh was pounding the hell out of Colin’s back, then grinning up at him like a damn fool.
“Holy hell, Col,” he said, his eyes wet, and Colin did his best to grin back.
“I know, right?” he said, feeling heat flood his cheeks before he glanced over to see Emily wrapped tightly in his new sister-in-law’s arms, bawling her eyes out.
Chapter Two
“So how come you didn’t say anything?”
Standing at the sink in the ranch’s ginormous, Southwest-kitsch kitchen, Emily set the now-clean Dutch oven in the drainer, pushing out a sigh for Colin’s question. Not that she’d been able to eat much of the amazing pot roast, especially after embarrassing the hell out of herself earlier. But her cousin’s keeping dinner warm for her—well, them, as it happened—had been a very sweet gesture. Because that was Dee.
Wiping her damp hands across her butt, Emily turned, now unable to avoid the scowl she’d ignored—more or less—all through the late dinner. Even from six or so feet away, Colin’s size was impressive. At least he no longer looked—or smelled—as though he’d recently escaped from the jungle. And he’d shaved, which took the edge off the mountain man aura. Somewhat. But with his arms crossed over that impressive chest, not even his slightly curling, still-damp hair detracted from the massive mouth-drying solidity that was Colin Talbot. For sure, none of the brothers were exactly puny, but Colin was next door to intimidating. Toss in the glower, and...
Yeah.
“Your brother let you out of his clutches?”
The corner of Colin’s mouth twitched. “For the moment. The dog was acting like something was going on outside he thought Josh needed to check out.”
And Dee had gone to nurse her infant daughter—after Emily shooed her off, insisting on cleaning up after dinner. No buffers, in other words. And judging from that penetrating gaze, Colin was not-so-patiently waiting for her answer.
She shrugged, a lame attempt at playing it cool. “Maybe because your doing the prodigal son routine seemed like a far bigger deal than—”
“Your wedding getting called off?”
Weirdly, he sounded almost angry. Although whether it was because she hadn’t told him, or on her behalf, she had no idea. Not that either of those made any sense. Then again, maybe he was ticked off because of a dozen other things she wasn’t privy to. Nor was she likely to be. So Big Guy didn’t exactly have a lot of room to talk, did he?
And before those weird, light eyes melted her brain, Emily turned back around to wipe down the sink. “In the interest of journalistic integrity,” she said, scrubbing far harder than the stainless sink needed. “I was the one who called it off.”
“Because your fiancé cheated on you. Josh filled me in.”
The wrung-out sponge shoved behind the faucet, Emily faced him again, her arms tightly crossed over her ribs. “Seriously? You reconnect with your brother for the first time in a million years and you guys talk about me?”
“Hey. You were the one who totally lost it the minute we got here. Not me. Although for what it’s worth, I didn’t ask. Josh volunteered the information. And it was like a five-, six-second part of the conversation. Okay, ten at the most. But I thought you’d probably appreciate knowing that I know.” He paused. “Not that I plan on being in your way much. In fact, I’m heading over to the foreman’s cabin in a few.”
Their gazes tangled for a long moment before Josh and the dog suddenly reappeared, the panting, grinning Aussie shepherd mix trotting over to his bowl to noisily slosh water all over the tiled floor.
“Have no idea what Thor heard,” Josh said, striding to the sink to fill a glass of his own. Colin had a good three or four inches on his little brother, who still wasn’t “little” by anyone’s standards. The Talbots grew ’em solid, for sure. Josh’s mossy eyes darted from her to Colin, a quizzical frown briefly biting into his forehead. But whatever he was thinking he kept to himself, thank goodness. Instead he flicked the empty glass toward the sink, then set it back in the drain board before clapping Josh’s arm. “Well, come on—let’s get you set up. Haven’t been out there in weeks, have no idea what condition it’s in—”
“Considering some of the places I’ve slept?” Colin said with a tight smile. “I’m sure it’s fine. And I’m about to collapse. We can talk more tomorrow,” he said gently at his brother’s slightly let-down expression. “Although don’t be surprised if I sleep until dinnertime. But promise me you won’t tell Mom and Dad I’m here.”
“I won’t.”
“Swear.”
Chuckling, Josh pressed a hand to his heart. “To God. Good enough?”
With a nod, Colin walked to the back door where he’d dumped his stuff; a moment later, he was gone, and Emily turned to her cousin-in-law. Squinting. Josh actually winced.
“Sorry, it kinda slipped out. Then again...” He leaned back against the counter, his palms curled over the edge. “It’s not exactly a secret, is it?”
“No, but...” Emily glanced toward the door, where she could have sworn Colin’s presence still shimmered. Which only proved he hadn’t been the only wiped-out person in the house. “No,” she repeated, giving Josh a little smile, which she transferred to the dog when he came over to nudge her hand with his sopping-wet snout. Then she sniffed, blinking back another round of tears.
“You know you can stay as long as you want,” Josh said, adding, “I mean that,” when Emily lifted watery eyes to his. “You probably have no idea how much Dee talked about you, when she came back after her dad died. About how you saved her sanity after that business with her ex. How you stood by her when your folks...well...”
At that, Emily pushed out a tiny laugh. “Yeah, propriety’s kind of a biggie with them. Mom especially.” Meaning a knocked-up niece hadn’t been part of Margaret Weber’s game plan. Although that was small potatoes compared with her daughter’s society wedding getting the ax weeks before it was supposed to happen. Never mind that it would have been a total sham.
“In any case,” Josh continued, “after everything you did for Dee, anything we can do to return the favor—”
“Thanks. But...”
Her cousin’s husband grinned. “What?”
Emily sighed. In the rush of adrenaline that had followed in the wake of discovering Michael’s secret, her fight-or-flight impulse had kicked in, big-time. And since fighting had felt like an exercise in futility, she’d chosen flight...as far from Michael and her mother and all those gasps and clacking tongues in McLean, Virginia, as she could get. And where else but to the place that had been a balm to her soul the few times she’d been here as a kid? And where the only person who could effortlessly toggle between being a nonjudgmental sounding board and understanding when Emily needed space lived?
However, now that the adrenaline was subsiding, it occurred to her that this was a newly married couple...a newly married couple with two young children between them, who probably cherished their alone time when said children were asleep. So the last thing they probably wanted, or needed, was some emotionally volatile chick invading their space.
“You guys have to promise me,” she said to Josh’s bemused expression, “you’ll let me know the minute you feel I’m cramping your style.”
At that, Josh laughed out loud. “We live with a four-year-old and an infant. Cramped is our style. As it will be for many years to come, I expect. Although at least you can get your own glass of water if you wake up in the middle of the night. You can, right?”
Emily chuckled. “Not only that, I can even make my own breakfast.”
“Then there ya go.” Josh leaned over to give her shoulder a quick squeeze. “In case you missed it, we’re kinda big on family around here. So not another word, you hear?”
Her eyes burning again, Emily nodded. And this time, not because she was worn-out. Not even because of her own foolishness, letting herself get caught up in a fairy tale that now lay shattered in a million pieces at the bottom of her soul. That had been just plain stupid. Even so, she had no doubt she’d eventually recover. And be stronger for the experience, if not a whole lot wiser. So out of the ashes and all that.
But what yanked at her heart now was the sudden and profound realization of what had been missing from her life to this point, or at least not nearly as much in evidence as it should have been:
The good old Golden Rule, treating others the way you’d want to be treated. At least, as far as being on the receiving end of it went. All her life, it now occurred to her, she’d tried so hard to do what was expected of her, to not make waves. A lot in life she’d been fine with, for the most part. So sue her, she liked making people happy. But how often had anyone else ever done that for her? Other than Dee, that was, who’d come to live with Emily and her parents shortly after her mother died, when they were teenagers.
Now Emily looked at the kind, wonderful man her cousin had married, feeling overwhelmingly grateful for Deanna’s happiness...and even more acutely aware of how badly she’d been screwed. And as her cousin joined them in the kitchen, one arm slipping around her husband’s waist, resolve flooded Emily, that the next time—if there even was a next time—either the dude would look at her the way Josh looked at Dee or fuggedaboutit. Because God knew Michael had never looked at her like that, had he? And look how that had turned out.
“She asleep?” Josh asked Dee, who spiked a hand through her short dark hair. Almost chin length now, grown out from the edgier style she’d worn when she worked at that art gallery in DC. Roots were showing, too, a burnished glimmer against the black ends.
“Out like a light,” Dee said, yawning as she leaned into Josh. Again, envy spiked through Emily, at how comfortable they were with each other. How much in love. Which was what came, Emily supposed, from their having been friends first, when they’d been kids and Josh’s father had worked for Dee’s. But between that and the trip and the events leading to the trip and the weirdness with Colin, Emily suddenly felt used up.
“If you guys don’t mind,” she said, “I think I’m going to turn in. It’s been a long day.”
“I’m sure,” Dee said, slipping out of the shelter of her husband’s embrace to wrap her arms around Emily, hold her close for a long moment. “We’ll talk tomorrow. If you want.”
“I’m sure I will,” Emily said, then left the kitchen, letting the silence in the long, clay-tiled hall leading to the bedroom wing enfold her. Even with the updates to the house from when Dee and Josh thought they’d sell it after Uncle Granville’s death, the place hadn’t changed much from what she remembered from childhood. But the century-old hacienda, with its troweled walls and beamed ceilings, seemed good with that, like an old woman who saw no need to adopt the latest fashion craze simply because it was the latest thing.
A giant gray cat, curled on the folded-up quilt on the foot of the guest room’s double bed, blinked sleepily at her when she turned on the nightstand’s lamp. No one seemed to know how old Smoky was, or how he’d even come to live here—like a ghost whose presence was simply accepted.
“Hey, guy,” she said, plopping her smaller bag onto the mattress, chuckling at his glower because she’d disturbed his nap. Not to mention his space, since he’d clearly staked a claim on the room in her absence. “We gonna be roomies for the next little while?”
The cat yawned, then meowed before hauling himself to his feet and plodding across the bed to bump her hand as she tugged a pair of pajamas from the case and zipped it back up. Unpacking would come later, a thought that hurt her chest. Not because she was here, but because of why she was here—
Dee’s quiet knock on her open bedroom door made Emily start. Her cousin had changed into a loose camisole top, a pair of don’t-give-a-damn drawstring bottoms and a baggy plaid robe that definitely gave off a masculine vibe.
“Need anything?”
“A new life?”
With a snort, her cousin came over to sit on the edge of the bed, which the cat took as an invitation to commandeer her lap. “I know I said tomorrow,” she said as Emily unceremoniously disrobed, tugged on the pajamas. Unlike her relationships with nearly everybody else in her life, she and Dee had no secrets between them. “But... I’m so sorry, Em.”
Emily crawled up onto the bed, sitting cross-legged to face Dee like she used to when they were kids. The cat immediately changed loyalties, flicking his poofy tail across Emily’s chin before settling in, rumbling like a dishwasher. Smiling, she stroked his staticky fur.
“Better now than later, right?”
Her cousin blew a half laugh through her nose. “At least you’re not pregnant,” she muttered, then frowned. “You’re not, are you?”
It was everything Emily could do not to laugh herself at the absurdity of her cousin’s perfectly reasonable question. Especially since the sweet baby girl down the hall wasn’t Josh’s, but the result of Dee’s affair—well before she moved back to New Mexico and reconnected with Josh, whom she hadn’t seen since she was a teenager—with a man who’d neglected to mention he already had three children. And a wife. A thought that immediately displaced Emily’s inappropriate spike of amusement with anger, at how both she and her cousin had been played for fools by a pair of scumbags who mistook agreeableness for weakness.
Or stupidity.
“What do you think?” she said, and her cousin’s mouth twisted.
“Oh. Right. Although sometimes—”
“Not in this case. Although I suppose I should see about having the IUD removed now. Since...” She shrugged, and Dee’s eyes went soft.
“Since it’s completely over between you and Michael?”
“Yeah,” Emily said on a sigh.
“Well...” Dee grinned. “Before you do, who’s to say you couldn’t have some good old-fashioned revenge sex?”
Now Emily did laugh. Ridiculous though the suggestion was. Towns this small weren’t exactly rife with prospects. Which right now was a major selling point, actually, what with her recent self-diagnosis of acute testosterone intolerance. “With...?”
Her cousin’s eyes twinkled. “I’m sure we can scrounge up someone who isn’t toothless and/or on Social Security.”
“Meaning Colin,” Emily deadpanned, and Dee’s eyebrows nearly flew off her head.
“The thought never even entered my head.”
“Right.”
“You’ve gotta admit, he does clean up nice.” Emily glared. For many reasons. Then her cousin leaned forward to wrap her hand around hers. “You do know I’m kidding, right?”
“I’m never sure with you.”
“Good point,” Dee said, the twinkle once again flashing. “But while I do find it serendipitous—”
“Ooh, big word.”
“—that the two of you showed up together, and he is a hunk—because clearly the Talbots don’t know how to make ’em any other way—it’s also pretty obvious he’s no more in the market for fun and games than you are.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that impression, too. But what did he say? To Josh?”
“It’s more what he didn’t say, I think. Obviously the man is all about keeping to himself. Even more than most men are,” she said, and Emily thought, Tell me about it. “But he indicated to Josh he just needed a break. And that it’d been too long since he’d been home. Especially since so much has happened since then. Weddings and whatnot.”
“You think he’ll stick around for Zach and Mallory’s?”
“Who knows? I get the feeling Colin’s not big on plans. Or commitments.” Dee cocked her head. “And what’s with that look?”
Emily punched out a sound that was equal parts laugh and sigh. “That would be me overthinking things I have no business thinking about at all. Especially since I clearly have no talent whatsoever when it comes to guessing what’s going on inside someone’s head. I mean, really—I knew Michael for how many years? And still...” She shook her head. “So presuming anything about some man I’ve known for a few hours—and half of that he’s either been comatose or not around...”
“Em.” Dee looked almost exasperated. “First off, there’s a huge difference between some dirtwad who’s deliberately trying to keep you in the dark and a guy who’s simply not big on sharing. With anybody, apparently. Even his brothers barely know him, for reasons known only to Colin. So if you think Colin’s got some serious issues—believe me, you’re not alone. In fact, Josh said the same thing. Only I think—” she squeezed Emily’s hand “—that you’ve got enough junk of your own to work through right now without worrying about someone you don’t even know. Because secondly, you’re too damn kindhearted. Always have been. Which is probably...” She bit her lip, and Emily rolled her eyes.
“Go on, spit it out. Which is why I’m in this mess, right?”
“Seeing the best in people is what you do,” Dee said gently. “Who you are. And I wouldn’t change that, or you, for the world. So don’t even go there, you hear me? But it does have its downside.”
“In other words I need to toughen up.”
“Says the woman who teaches kindergartners,” Dee said on a short laugh. “You’re plenty tough, babycakes. But I think...” Her cousin paused, her eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without a boyfriend? A month? Two?”
Emily started. “I...I don’t know. I never really thought about it—”
“Because you’ve never been alone long enough to think about it. And then you reconnected with Michael at that thing at the club, and everyone—his parents, your parents—were all ooh, perfect, and...”
“And I fell right into everyone’s expectations.”
Her cousin’s smile was kind. “Especially Aunt Margaret’s.”
Considering her mother’s apoplectic fit when the wedding was called off? Truth. But...
“You never really liked Michael, did you?”
Dee reached over to stroke the cat. “I never really trusted him. Gut reaction, sorry. But at first I figured it would probably peter out, so why say anything? Especially since nobody made me God. Then you guys got engaged, and... I don’t know. Something felt off. Except then I got involved with Phillippe, and, well. Considering how that turned out, I didn’t exactly have room to talk, did I? And by then you were deep into wedding-planning fever...” She shrugged, then gave her cousin a little smile.
